The effect of online games on verbal communication skills: Secondary school sample

Games are the types of activities which develop the cognitive, psychomotor, and mental skills of people in a fun way. Following the developments in the Internet, video games found on the digital platforms have gone online, giving birth to a new genre. This study investigates the effect of online games on the communication skills of high school students. Participants of the study are 430 students who are studying at six different types of high schools (science, social sciences, Anatolian, vocational, fine arts, religious vocational) located in the central districts of Samsun, Turkey. The research is structured on mixed method. The data gathered for correlational survey portion of the study were analyzed with SPSS 23.0, and one-way analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA) was used to examine the independent study groups. A semi-structured interview form was prepared for the data related to the descriptive analysis part of the study; the collected data were tabulated and analyzed. Based on the findings of the study, it has been determined that online games have certain effects on the verbal skills of individuals. These effects are related the usage and reinforcement of skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and communication. However, the findings also unearthed the negative effect of the games on the verbal use of Turkish where individuals use a mixed language with the combination of Turkish and English words. Consequently, it has been suggested that academic studies on online games should be increased, communication aspect of online games should be maintained by student-teacher-parent cooperation, and the communication skills obtained by online games should be used in formal contexts.